Public budget consultation meetings begin in earnest

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$415,000 can expect to pay an additional $104 in 2023, while rural ratepayers will pay an extra $85.

In addition, water and sewer rates will be going up again in 2023, which will increase the average water and sewer and bill in Ottawa by $34 on an annual basis.

Keep in mind the municipal portion makes up 85 per cent of your property tax bill. The remaining 15 per cent is the education portion of the bill which is set by the provincial government. For 2023, the tax rate for school purposes for residential property has been set at 0.153 per cent of the assessed value of the property. So for a home with an average assessed market value of $415,000, the education portion of the property tax bill will be $635.

The urban portion of your tax bill is made up of four different rates for police services, fire services, a transit levy and a conservation authority levy. In 2022, the combined tax rates totaled 0.991565 per cent. When you include the education rate, the total urban property tax rate in Ottawa in 2022 was 1.144565, which for a home with an average assessed market value of $415,000 equated to $4,750. Added to that is the fixed solid waste management levy of $118, bringing the total tax bill to $4,868.

For 2023, the combined tax rate will go up to 1.144565, while the solid waste fee is being increased from $118 per household to $130, making for a total property tax bill of $4,972.

In order to limit the property tax increase to 2.5 per cent, staff had to find $55 million in cost-saving efficiencies.

For instance, they plan to reduce OC Transpo maintenance costs by $2.2 million by getting rid of 117 aging buses.

The lion’s share of the savings will come from something called a transit capital program alignment which will provide $42.7 million in savings. Those savings could quickly disappear, however, if the city is unable to get $53 million from the province to make up for lost revenues resulting from a loss of ridership stemming from the pandemic.

If the City doesn’t get the full $53 million from the province, staff is suggesting the money can be transferred from existing reserves.

Despite all the cost-saving measures, the budget still contains a bevy of capital projects as well as spending for 29 additional police officers and 14 new paramedics.

Specific to the east end, the budget will provide funding to design the widening of Mer Bleue Road between Decoeur Drive and

FRED SHERWIN PHOTO

Renaud Road (funding for the actual work is expected to be forthcoming in future budgets), $1.3 million to expand the playground at Notre Dame des Champs Park, $460,000 to modify the entrance ramp to the Navan

Memorial Centre, $400,000 to upgrade pool change rooms for accessibility at the Ray Friel Recreation Complex and $100,000 to upgrade Des Pionniers Park with an accessible play structure.